


soft hearts, electric souls

by claryharry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Agent Harry Styles, Alternative Universe - FBI, American AU, American Harry, American Louis, American Niall, American Zayn, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ass-Kicking, Attempt at Humor, Bad Decisions, Bad Flirting, Bottom Harry, Bottom Harry Styles, Bottoming from the Top, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Domestic Fluff, Endgame Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Eventual Smut, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Harry Styles & Louis Tomlinson are the Same Age, Harry is a Tease, Humor, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Going to Hell, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Liam is a Good Friend, M/M, Niall Horan is Niall Horan, Niall is a Good Friend, POV Third Person, Strangers to Lovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Top Louis, Top Louis Tomlinson, Topping from the Bottom, Writer Louis, american liam, brief enemies i guess?, but he's really not, harry acts confident, harry is an FBI agent, i'm going to stop tagging now, i'm going to try not to make the smut graphic, louis is a writer, niall is the biggest larry shipper, there is side ziam, they fall in love, they're american in this can you tell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 03:17:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16824034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/claryharry/pseuds/claryharry
Summary: louis tomlinson is twenty-two years old and fresh out of college. he’s awkward and a little shy. his best friend, zayn malik, is his partner in the graphic novel series he’s writing. they’re at a road block on drawing one last character, but no boy seems to be right. that is, until harry styles walks in. it’s almost as if he jumped off of the pages and into the world.when probationary fbi agent harry finds out louis based a character’s appearance off of him without his permission, he’s livid. but once he hunts him down, he can’t seem to be mad anymore. in fact, he's a little endeared and slightly swooning.;or the one where harry hates his co-workers (but really doesn’t), louis drinks entirely too much coffee, zayn kind of has a thing for liam, and niall is there through it all. somewhere in between, harry and louis fall in love.





	soft hearts, electric souls

**Author's Note:**

> i want to start by adding a big fat disclaimer that this is a work of complete and total fiction. i also have absolutely no idea how the fbi works and i'm doing a little research, but most of my knowledge comes from criminal minds so this by no means is going to be accurate. 
> 
> also, if you detect a hint of shadowhunters vibes in there, that's because this was originally a sizzy fic, but i decided it would be better off as louis and harry. 
> 
> special thanks to my wonderful betas, tyler (@medicineljve on twitter) and lex (@harrysinceny on twitter) for putting up with me all of the time and reading my shitty writing. you rock. 
> 
> come find me on twitter (@louskiwis) or on tumblr (@claryharry)

prologue

Though he’d lived in New York his entire life, Louis Tomlinson never got tired of taking the city in. Whether it be in Brooklyn or Manhattan, there was always something new and beautiful for him to see. A lot of the time, he liked to do his exploring with his best friend Zayn, or sit on a park bench somewhere and let the sun warm his skin.

Today, however, was not one of those days.

Today, Louis was sitting in his and Zayn’s favorite coffee shop, Caffeine Crave , where he was strongly considering jumping through the glass window he was currently leaning against, or just ripping his hair out. There were piles of paper scattered around him, all of them discarded sketches. Bless Emersyn, the barista and one of Louis’ close friends, for ignoring the mess he was making.

For about a year now, he and Zayn had been writing their first graphic novel (something they’d dreamed of doing together since they were kids) about a group of demon-hunting teenagers in a world invisible to their own in New York.

Normally, Louis was the one who did all of the writing while Zayn did all of the illustrations, but he’d left the badass, barely-buttoned shirt wearing, long-haired Grayson up to Louis. Louis had created him to be his perfect boy and no matter what Zayn drew, it wasn’t right. So, Zayn decided that Louis should be the one to draw the initial concept which he would perfect later on.

Grayson was all dark hair, long legs, and full pink lips. He was flawless in Louis’ eyes, but Louis didn’t know if he could draw a flawless person when he’d never seen one. He balled up another sketch and threw it into his trash pile, dropping his head down on the table.

“I brought you another espresso. Looked like you could use it.” The sudden voice made Louis jump, but when he looked up, it was only Emersyn with an espresso in her hand. She grinned when she saw his shock and then sat down in the chair across from him, sliding the cup his way.

“Do you happen to have something a little stronger? Like, absinthe?” Louis asked as he rubbed at his temples in attempt to prevent the cruel headache he felt coming on.

Emersyn laughed lightly and then glanced down at Louis’ sketchbook. “You’ve turned this place into a garbage dump. What’s going on?”

“You know the graphic novel I’m writing with Zayn?” Louis looked at Emersyn.

“Yeah, demon-fighters or something, right?”

“Sin-Slayers, but yes, that’s the basic concept.” Louis sighed and downed the espresso in one gulp. “Well, I created this sort of unrealistically perfect boy and since it was me who came up with his entire personality, Zayn wants me to do the initial sketch. Also, I shot down everything he drew. But I can’t draw him, I can’t even see a face in my head, but Zayn needs it by the end of the week.”

Emersyn looked confused for a moment. “Wait, I thought Zayn was doing all of the drawing since he’s the one with the art degree?”

“He is,” Louis confirmed. “But, I’m not a terrible artist and he just wants a rough sketch to base it off of. I feel like I’ve done nothing for this book and he’s done all of the work.”

“Louis…didn’t you, y’know, _write it?”_

“Yes, but the illustrations are what draws people in. He has the hardest job of all, mine was easy.”

Emersyn pushed back from the table, standing up and smoothing down her waist-apron. “I have to get back to work, but I’m sure it will come to you. You have an incredible talent, Louis. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“Self-deprecation is like, ninety-percent of my genetic makeup.” Louis grinned at Emersyn as she rolled her eyes fondly at him. He then dropped his head back onto the table, muttering expletives under his breath.

He didn't know how long he sat there with his head on the table, it could’ve been days, weeks, months. Louis felt like time was irrelevant right now anyway. Maybe he’d die right here in this coffee shop. He didn’t think that sounded like such a bad idea.

The bell above the door chimed, and loud laughter poured into the shop. This was the only thing that caused Louis to lift his head up and he was immediately glad that he did. Because right there, in that exact moment, Grayson himself walked into Caffeine Crave.

Well, not exactly Grayson, since he was a fictional character and that was physically impossible; but, the boy who had just walked in was the miracle that Louis had been begging for. He wore tight jeans, a sheer red top with only three buttons done, black boots, and a leather jacket. To top it all off and make Louis feel like he was actually dreaming, his lips were a deep, mesmerizing pink and his chocolate hair fell in curls down to his shoulders.

Louis pinched himself just to make sure he wasn’t going crazy or having some sort of vision. He closed his eyes and opened them again; he was still there. With him was a tall girl with lighter brown hair and wide-eyes, unmistakably his sister. But Louis didn’t care about the girl, no. He cared about the god who was standing fifteen feet away from him.

He grabbed his pencil and began to sketch, silently willing the boy not to leave. A sigh of relief fell from his lips when "Grayson" sat down at a table with the girl, and by some other miracle, he was facing him. This was almost too good to be true, but Louis wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

He just bent his head down and drew.

*

Harry Styles knew he was beautiful. He knew he could make a man bend to his every will with a bat of his eyelashes and that boys and girls alike tripped over themselves and ran into various things when he passed by.

Everyone always told him how lucky he was to be born with such a naturally beautiful face. They were right, he knew. But they didn’t hear about all of the boys who just wanted to use him. They weren’t aware of how Harry tossed the boys away before they could ever get the chance to. didn’t see that his only true friends were his sister and co-workers because they were the only people who really knew him, others didn’t stick around long enough to find out.

This provided him with a sense of confidence that he knew rolled off of him in waves, but he’d tried a more insecure persona, and people still hated and used him. So, he decided that he might as well use what he was given. If people were going to hate him no matter what, he might as well own it.

Underneath it all, there was still the lingering sense of insecurity and loneliness, but he counter-acted those feelings by throwing himself into his work. He was a probationary agent at the FBI Manhattan field office. His goal was to eventually make it to the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (more commonly known as the BAU) to become a behavioral analysis agent. He wouldn’t stop until he got there.

He was laughing at a joke that his older sister Gemma had told him as they stepped into a little coffee shop called Caffeine Crave. He’d heard of it before, but had never been inside. Gemma insisted that he try it because according to her, they had muffins that were “better than sex.” Which, Harry found that a little hard to believe, but he figured he’d give Gemma the benefit of the doubt.

“So, how are things going with that Nick guy you’ve been seeing?” Gemma asked after they had ordered and sat down.

Harry waved his hand away in dismissal. “I cut him loose. I wasn’t feeling it anymore.”

Gemma sighed and put her serious big sister face on. “Harry, when are we going to discuss your inability to let anyone in?”

Harry snorted and took a sip of his latte. “Like you have any room to talk. It took Ryland months to finally get you to open up. How is he, by the way? I haven’t seen him in a while.” He bit into his muffin and moaned. It was definitely better than sex. He’d take one-thousand of these muffins over sex any day.

Gemma rolled her eyes, but Harry didn’t miss the way her entire face lit up when he’d mentioned her boyfriend. “He’s great. He’s been busy with work and all which is why he hasn’t been coming around as often, but I know he misses you.”

“Well, as soon as he gets a break, let me know so I can call him and make plans.” Ryland was the only person Harry could talk to that found Gemma just as annoying as he did sometimes.

Harry looked over Gemma’s shoulder, noticing a boy with light brown hair in the corner who was drawing furiously and was surrounded in tons of balled up paper. “Don’t look now,” Harry said to Gemma, “but the guy in the back corner surrounded by all the paper is really cute, don’t you think?”

Gemma heaved a sigh and waited a moment before turning around, looking at the boy. “Sure, he’s cute. Looks way too innocent and fragile for you, though. You’d only break his heart anyway. He looks like the type that would never recover from a few whirlwind weeks with Harry Styles.”

“You’re right, but he’s still cute,” Harry said. He moved his paper coffee cup in small circles, swishing the liquid around. He was still looking at the boy when he threw his pencil down on the table and sunk down in his chair with an obvious sigh of relief. When he opened his eyes, Harry’s heart skipped a beat. The boy was looking right at him, and he was looking back at the boy.

He smiled his award-winning smile and watched as the boy turned a deep red, his blue eyes widening. He gave him a sheepish smile in return before beginning to pack up his things. Harry was slightly disappointed.

He waved a good-bye to the pretty barista behind the counter and Harry felt a weird jealousy bubble up in his stomach.

“Earth to Harry?” Gemma said, waving a hand in front of her brother’s face.

He shook his head, turning his attention back on his sister. “What? Sorry.” In his peripheral vision, he caught the boy throw one last look at him over his shoulder.

“I was asking how work was going? Has Caroline said anything to you about applying for NCAVC New York?” Gemma asked.

He was in his final months of his probation period and it was time to start sending out requests for transfers. “I have a meeting with her tomorrow. I’m just really nervous.”

“You’re brilliant, Harry and perfect for the job. You’ll get it,” Gemma assured him and squeezed his hand across the table.

“I hope you’re right.”

*****

Louis adjusted his messenger bag on his shoulder as he stepped into Zayn’s apartment/studio. Since Zayn couldn’t really afford his own studio, he’d turned his apartment into his workspace. Louis stepped over paint trays and pencils as he made his way to the room where Zayn normally did all of his work.

“Aha! Found it!” he heard him say.

“My will to live? Thanks, I’ve been looking for it,” Louis replied and set his bag down on the floor.

Zayn’s head popped up from behind his work table and he looked at Louis with wide eyes. His midnight hair was in disarray and he had charcoal marks on his face. One of his overall straps was undone and there was paint on the white t-shirt he was wearing underneath. Louis shook his head fondly.

“No, my charcoal,” he responded. “What you’re looking for is long gone.” He grinned wide and beautiful, clearly proud of himself for his joke. “I wasn’t expecting you today.”

Louis walked around the table to sit down on the messy floor across from his best friend. “When have we ever gone a day without seeing each other? Never.”

Zayn smiled and fumbled with the charcoal in his hands. “That’s false. And I figured since you had to work on the Grayson drawing, you’d be holed up in Caffeine Crave all day.”

Sometimes, Louis wondered if the degree to which they knew each other was unhealthy. “I was, but then it happened. It came to me.”

Zayn looked momentarily shocked, as if he didn’t think Louis would be able to do it. Which, Louis didn’t exactly blame him for having that suspicion, since only a few hours earlier he’d been thinking the exact same thing.

“Please, don’t hold back your obvious shock on account of me,” Louis said in mock offense.

“I’m sorry, bro. I just didn’t think-“ Zayn started, but Louis quickly interrupted him.

“-I’d be able to do it? Yeah, I didn’t think so either.”

“That’s not what I was going to say; but, can I see it, then?” Zayn gestured to Louis’ messenger bag that was sitting on the floor where Louis had left it.

“Yeah. Just go easy on me.” Louis rose to his feet and held out a hand for Zayn, which he accepted gratefully. Zayn’s charcoal covered hand slipped easily into his. It was a routine, practiced move. When he was standing, Louis looked down at Zayn’s hand and noticed it was covered in black, something he was used to.

Sometimes, Louis just looked at Zayn and wondered how the universe had created something so chaotically beautiful. He was a mix of fire and wind, and Louis always felt so unbelievably lucky to call him his best friend.

There was a point in his life that Louis was convinced that he was in love with Zayn, but he quickly realized that he wasn’t. He didn’t really have a fair playing field since Zayn was practically the only boy he had ever spoken to long enough to get to know on a deep level; so, really, could anyone blame Louis for thinking he was in love with him?

He still remembered the relief he felt when they were sat at Caffeine Crave, and he took a moment to look at Zayn— _really_ look at him. The feeling fell upon him out of absolutely nowhere, but he was glad that it did. It was the feeling that what he was doing with Zayn—sitting in a coffee shop with his best friend and laughing about anything and everything—was all he ever wanted from him.

Friendship.

There would always be Zayn and Louis, or Louis and Zayn, they were a package deal; but, it would never be _ZaynandLouis,_ or _LouisandZayn._ It would never be more than the current bond they shared, and Louis had never felt more at peace with something in his entire life.

When they reached the spot where Louis’ bag rested, he bent down and grabbed it. It took a moment of digging since he had left Caffeine Crave in such a flustered hurry (Grayson had _smiled_ at him), but he found the drawing and handed it over to Zayn.

He watched as Zayn’s eyes widened and his lips parted. “Oh, dude. This is sick. He looks great. I knew you had it in you.”

Louis narrowed his eyes at Zayn. “No, you did not. Do not lie to me, Malik.”

“Well, I wasn’t one-hundred percent sure, but I was definitely pulling for you.” Zayn was laughing when he stepped forward and threw his arms around Louis in a bit of a bone-crushing hug. Zayn worked out. Louis did not.

Zayn let go of Louis and hurried over to his work station.

Louis followed.

Louis watched as Zayn cleared a space and set his wrinkled sketch down. He pulled open a drawer of his paint-splattered filing cabinets and grabbed a portfolio Louis knew was filled with all of the other character sketches.

Zayn spread the drawings out on the table, adding Grayson to the mix. He took a step back with his hands on his hips, surveying. Louis watched him nervously.

“He fits in perfectly, Lou,” Zayn said finally. “Now I can finally finish the rough drafts and start on the finals.”

“Is this your way of trying to tell me to leave?” Louis asked, a joking tone in his voice.

Zayn reached under his table and grabbed a light blue pail filled with colored pencils. “‘Course not, man. I need your help choosing the right colors for him.”

Louis pulled a chair up and sat down across from Zayn. “His lips need to be punch pink, not just any deep pink.”

Zayn nodded and thumbed through his colored pencils for a moment before pulling a pink one out and showing it to Louis for approval. “This good?”

This was one of those moments where Louis was grateful that they were so in sync. “That’s spot on.” Louis thought for a minute before continuing. “His skin needs to be pale, but a milky pale with almost a glowing undertone. And his hair, it needs to be a brown in between coffee and dark chocolate.”

“That’s… oddly specific. You know this is a fictional boy, right?” Zayn raised her eyebrows at Louis, clearly amused.

Louis hoped Zayn wouldn’t see that he was hiding something. “Obviously, but I’ve built him up in my head for so long, I know the colors. I just couldn’t see the face.”

Zayn tilted his head down, starting to run the pink colored pencil over Grayson's lips. “Where’d you come up with the face, anyway?”

For a moment, Louis considered telling Zayn everything about the boy from Caffeine Crave that looked like he’d been sent down from heaven. He thought about the boy’s beautiful smile and the way it had made his heart flutter and his stomach do somersaults. He thought about how he would have given anything to have the courage to talk to him, to tell him how insanely beautiful he was; but, Louis was sure the boy got that all of the time. He thought about how he wished he knew his name so he could stop calling him “Grayson” in his head.

He decided that he wanted to keep him to himself, the real boy from the coffee shop.

Louis shrugged, looking down at his lap. “It just came to me. I got lucky, I guess.”

*

Harry tried to calm his nerves as he walked the familiar path to his boss’s office. He knew there was no reason for him to be nervous, he was Harry Styles and he could do anything; also, Caroline was one of the nicest people he knew. He knew that regardless, he’d be an agent with the FBI in some department, that was a given.

However, knowing these things didn’t stop him from worrying about the fact that he could lose everything he’d worked so hard to attain. He didn’t want to be just any agent. He wanted to get into the minds of the worst criminals in New York and the rest of the states. He wanted to be the one to catch them based on observing their behavior.

Working at NCAVC wasn’t just a want, it was a need.

It was a need that was right on the tip of his tongue. It was so close he could almost taste it.

He took a deep breath when he reached Caroline’s office door. For an unknown period of time, he stared at the golden name plate on the wooden door that read “Caroline Watson.” It took a lot of will power, but he finally let his hand rap against the door in a loud series of knocks.

Caroline called for him to come in, and he did. Opening the door slowly, Harry stepped into Caroline’s office, most of his nerves dissipating when he saw Caroline’s warm smile. “Ah, my most promising probationary agent,” Caroline said and gestured for Harry to sit down.

“I want to apply to NCAVC,” Harry blurted out as he took a seat in one of the plush chairs.

A sigh left Caroline. “I know you do, and I’m going to encourage you to do so; but, Harry, it’s extremely competitive and I don’t want you to get your hopes up too high. You’re the best probationary agent we’ve got, and I think you would be a wonderful candidate for NCAVC. You know I’ll be recommending you, but there’s only so much I can do.”

Harry nodded rapidly. He knew how competitive NCAVC was, and he knew you had to be the absolute best of the best to even be considered. “I just really think I can do it, Caroline.”

“I do as well. I’ll approve the application request, but I just want you to know that regardless of anything, the bureau is lucky to have you, no matter the area of specialization.” Caroline rose to her feet, offering a hand out to Harry.

Harry stood up immediately and shook Caroline’s hand. “Thank you so much.”

“It’s been a pleasure supervising you, Harry Styles. I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll do great things with the training you’ve received and that bright mind of yours.”

Heat rose in Harry’s cheeks. He was used to compliments, sure, but it was different when it had nothing to do with your looks and everything to do with your ability. When it was about what you wanted to people to notice. “It’s not goodbye yet,” he laughed, dropping Caroline’s hand and smoothing out his black suit pants.

“No, but I wanted to tell you now while I’m thinking about it.” Caroline smiled and started to shoo Harry out of her office. “Now, go do your paperwork.”

“Thank you again!” Harry said over his shoulder as he exited Caroline’s office.

There was a ball of excitement in his stomach. To even be approved to apply was an honor, and he felt extremely proud of himself. He tried to appear calm and he walked down the stairs to the main floor where his cubicle was. The urge to smile wouldn’t stop tugging at his lips and he ducked his head, letting himself break into a huge grin.

He was so focused on his excitement that he didn’t even notice Liam sitting in his desk chair and Niall leaning on the desk behind him. He jumped and a hand flew to his chest. “Jesus!” he exclaimed.

“Flattered, but it’s just us,” Liam responded.

“What are you two doing here?” Harry asked. Liam and Niall were the two friends he’d made in her months of probation, as they were in the same boat as him.

“Your meeting with Caroline? Dude,” Niall said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it kind of was.

“Did she approve you?” Liam asked, excitement clear in his voice.

“Am I wearing the face of someone who just got rejected?” Harry grinned, holding his arms out on either side of him.

Niall came barreling towards him, throwing his arms around Harry’s neck. Harry stumbled back a little bit, but quickly regained his balance. “I’m so happy for you, bro! I know how much you want this,” Niall exclaimed when he pulled back.

Liam reached out to muss up Harry’s hair. “I’m proud of you, kid,” he said.

“Thank you,” Harry said and pushed both of them out of him area. “I love you both, but I need to start on the application and call Gemma.”

Liam rolled his eyes playfully and laid his arm over Niall’s shoulders. “We’re not welcome here.”

“Hey, you know that’s not true!” Harry said.

“I’m just teasing. See you later, Styles.” Liam started walking away, pulling Niall along with him.

“Suck it, Payne,” Harry replied and laughed as Liam stuck his tongue out at him over his shoulder.

Harry sat down in his chair, resisting the urge to spin around in it like a child (something he had to hold herself back from doing almost every day). He grabbed his black desk phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.

The phone rang three times before Gemma answered. “Hello?” she said, sounding slightly groggy.

“Did you just wake up? It’s two in the afternoon, Gems,” Harry responded.

“Oh. Hey, Harry.” Harry heard the rustling of sheets and pillows and sighed, wishing he was at home in his own bed. “It’s Harry,” he heard Gemma whisper to who she could only assume was Ryland.

“Hey, Harry,” Ryland called, his voice sounding equally as tired.

“Just put it on speaker, Gemma,” Harry answered and waited for his sister to do so.

“Okay, go,” Gemma said.

“I’m going to ignore the fact that the two of you are still in bed at two p.m. That is not what I called about. I called to let you know that Caroline approved my application request for NCAVC.”

“I knew you could do it!” Gemma yelled and Harry could practically see Ryland wincing at the volume of it.

“That’s great, H,” Ryland said.

“Okay, I need to go start on this application. So, you two can go back to sleeping your lives away or whatever. Love you, bye,” Harry said quickly and hung up before either of them could respond.

Harry logged onto her computer, pulling up his work e-mail where he knew he would have a message from Caroline with the application forms and instructions. Sure enough, there in his inbox was everything he needed to apply for his dream job. He took a deep breath and downloaded the files.

*

Relieving personal stress wasn’t something that Harry was good at, especially when it was personal work stress. That was the worst. So, he did one of the only things he knew would at least release some of the built up tension.

He made sure his goggles were adjusted correctly and his gun was loaded as he stood at the table of his stall. Planting his feet and setting his shoulders, Harry fired his first shot.

He fired a shot for the people at NCAVC. One for the people who couldn’t see him for who he really was. One for the people who doubted or underestimated him. One for the boy from the coffee shop that he couldn’t have.

And one for himself.

Each shot reverberated through him like a splash of cold water, cleansing him of the negative thoughts. When he pressed the button to bring his sheet to the front, he noticed every shot had been a kill shot.

He hoped the universe wasn’t trying to tell him something.


End file.
